Part of

MATERIALS SCIENCE
& AALearners
LearnersGuide
Guide
ENGINEERING
AN INTRODUCTORY E-BOOK

Anandh Subramaniam & Kantesh Balani

Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)
Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur- 208016
Email: anandh@iitk.ac.in, URL: home.iitk.ac.in/~anandh
http://home.iitk.ac.in/~anandh/E-book.htm

Interatomic Voids*
When an atom of an alloying element/impurity is added to a pure crystal, the atom
added may sit in a lattice/sublattice site in place of the host atom (e.g. Ag added
to Au sits in a FCC lattice site Ag is a substitutional alloying element) or go
into the space between atoms (e.g. C added to Fe C is a interstitial alloying
element). In some rare cases the atoms may be present both in the lattice and
interstitial sites (e.g. B in steel).
If the fit of the added atom in the available space is not too bad, then the
solubility of the added element in the host crystal is expected to be good.
In the hard sphere model of atoms, atoms are visualized as spheres. We have
already seen that as spheres cannot fill entire space. This implies that the packing
fraction (PF) < 1 (for all crystals).
This further implies there is void space between the atoms. Lower the PF, larger
the volume occupied by the void space.
We are mostly interested in the largest sphere which can fit into these voids.
The void space forms a continuous network across the whole solid. Part of this
void space lies within the unit cell (which when translated by the lattice translation vectors gives rise to the entire
void space).
* Do not confuse these voids with microscopic/macroscopic voids/cracks in crystals or holes (semiconductors) or vacancies (missing atoms).
Note: in some cases the void within a crystal can be large enough to accommodate small/large molecules (e.g. in Metal Organic Frameworks)
we are not going to describe these voids in this set of slides.

 This void space within the unit cell has a complicated shape, but (typically) we
only consider the plane faced polyhedron version of the voids.
There may be more than one type of such void polyhedra in a single unit cell.
These void polyhedra when put together fill space; however, in some cases only a
part of a given polyhedron may lie within a unit cell.
The size and distribution of voids* in materials plays a role in determining aspects
of material behaviour e.g. solubility of interstitials and their diffusivity.
The position of the voids of a particular type will be consistent with the symmetry
of the crystal (if a void of a particular type is located at (x,y,z), then all similar
voids can be obtained by the symmetry operations of the crystal).
In the close packed crystals (FCC, HCP) there are two types of voids
tetrahedral and octahedral voids (identical in both the structures as the voids are
formed between two layers of atoms)
The octahedral void has a coordination number 6 (should not be confused with 8 coordination!)
In the BCC crystal the voids do NOT have the shape of the regular tetrahedron or
the regular octahedron (in fact the octahedral void is a linear void!!)

* Common way of referring to the void polyhedron/polyhedra.

SC
The simple cubic crystal (monoatomic decoration of the simple cubic lattice) has large void in the centre
of the unit cell with a coordination number of 8.
The actual space of the void in very complicated (right hand figure below) and the polyhedron version of
the void is the cube (as cube is the coordination polyhedron around a atom sitting in the void).
Voids in SC crystal are not often described in detail in text books as the only element crystallizing SC
structure is Polonium.

rx
( 3 1) 0.732
r

True Unit Cell of SC crystal

Polyhedral model (Cube)

Video:
Video:void
voidininSC
SCcrystal
crystal

Actual shape of the void (space)!

Later on we will talk about tetrahedral and octahedral

voids in FCC, BCC & HCP crystals:
note that there are NO such tetrahedral and octahedral
voids in SC crystals and the only polyhedral void is
CUBIC (i.e. coordination number of 8)

FCC

Actual shape of the void is as shown below. This shape is very complicated and we use the polyhedral version of
the void. The polyhedra involved are the regular tetrahedron and the regular octahedron (referred to as the
tetrahedral and octahedral voids).

Actual shape of the void

Position of some of the atoms w.r.t to the void

FCC

The complicated void shown before is broken down in the polyhedral representation into two shapes: the
octahedron and the tetrahedron (which together fill space).
Note that a given tetrahedron (pink colour) is fully present within the unit cell, while only the octahedron (blue
colour) at the body centre is present within the unit cell. The octahedron with its centroid at centre of the edge of
the unit cell is shared by 4 unit cells (the cut faces are shown in green colur).

Octahedra and tetrahedra in an unit cell

Quarter of a octahedron which belongs to an unit cell

Video
Videoofofthe
theconstruction
construction
shown
in
this
slide
shown in this slide
4-Quarters forming a full octahedron

Central octahedron in view- this is a full octahedron

4-tetrahedra in view

VOIDS
Tetrahedral

TV

Location of the void:

way along body diagonal {, , }, {, ,
}
+ face centering
Calculation translations
shown later
rvoid / ratom = 0.225

Vtetrahedron

1
Vcell
24

Note: Atoms are coloured differently but are the same

Octahedral OV

Location of the void:

At body centre {, , }
+ face centering translations
rVoid / ratom = 0.414

Voctahedron

1
Vcell
6
Video:
Video:voids
voidsCCP
CCP
Video: atoms forming the voids
Video: atoms forming the voids

More views

Tetrahedral

TV

Octahedral OV

Once we know the position of a void then we can use

the symmetry operations of the crystal to locate the
other voids. This includes lattice translations.

FCC- OCTAHEDRAL

Site for octahedral void

{, , } + {,

, 0} = {1, 1, } {0, 0, }

Face centering translation

Note: Atoms are coloured differently but are the same

Equivalent site for an octahedral void

 There are 8 tetrahedral voids per cell and 4 octahedral voids per cell. The location of the voids and
number of voids per atom in the unit cell are to be noted from the table below.

FCC voids

Position

Voids / cell

Voids / atom

Tetrahedral

way from each vertex of the cube

along body diagonal <111>
((, , ))

Body centre: 1 (, , )
Octahedral

Edge centre: (12/4 = 3) (, 0,

0)

Now let us calculate the largest size sphere which can fit into these voids.
Size of the largest atom which can fit into the tetrahedral void of FCC
The distance from the vertex of the tetrahedron to the centroid (DT) is the distance spanned by radius of the atom and the
radius of the interstitial sphere.

DT = r + x

Radius of the interstitial atom (sphere)

If e is the edge length of the tetrahedron then CV = (6/4)e see below in triangle ABC

DT

6
erx
4

6
rrx
2

e 2r

x 6

1
~ 0.225

r 2
In tetrahedron ABCD
In triangle ABC
e2
e AM 2
4
2

AM
AO

3
e
2
2
2 3
e
AM
e
3
3 2
3

AD 2 e 2 AO 2 DO 2
2

e
e DO 2
3
2

DT

3
DO
4

DT

3 2
6
e
e
4 3
4

DO e

2
3

Size of the largest atom which can fit into the Octahedral void of FCC

2r + 2x = a

2a 4r
x

2 1 ~ 0.414

Thus, the octahedral void is the bigger one

and interstitial atoms (which are usually
bigger than the voids) would prefer to sit
here

VOIDS

HCP
TETRAHEDRAL

Note: Atoms are coloured differently but are the same

OCTAHEDRAL
This void extends across 3
conventional unit cells and
hence is difficult to visualize

Coordinate s : (0,0, 3 8 ), (0,0, 5 8 ), ( 2 3 , 1 3 , 18 ), ( 2 3 , 1 3 , 7 8 )

Coordinates: ( ,), (,,)

These voids are identical to the ones found in FCC (for ideal c/a ratio).
When the c/a ratio is non-ideal then the octahedra and tetrahedra are distorted (non-regular).
Important Note: often in these discussions an ideal c/a ratio will be assumed (without stating the same explicitly).
If c/a ratio is not the ideal one then the voids will not be regular (i.e. regular octahedron and regular tetrahedron).

The other orientation of the tetrahedral void

Octahedral voids occur in 1 orientation, tetrahedral voids occur in 2 orientations

Note: Atoms are coloured differently but are the same

Further views

This void extends across 3

conventional unit cells and hence
is difficult to visualize

Note: Atoms are coloured differently but are the same

Further views

Octahedral voids

Tetrahedral void

Note: Atoms are coloured differently but are the same

Voids/atom: FCC HCP

as we can go from FCC to HCP (and viceversa) by a twist of 60 around a central atom of
two void layers (with axis to figure)

Central atom

Atoms in HCP crystal: (0,0,0), (, ,)

Check below
HCP voids

Position

Voids /
cell

Voids / atom

Tetrahedral

(0,0,3/8), (0,0,5/8), (, ,1/8),

(,,7/8)

Octahedral

( ,), (,,)

Further views
Various sections along the c-axis
of the unit cell
A

B
Octahedral void

Tetrahedral void

Further views with some models

Visualizing these voids can sometimes be difficult especially in the HCP

crystal. How the tetrahedral and octahedral void fill space? is shown in the
accompanying video

Video:
Video:Polyhedral
Polyhedralvoids
voidsfilling
fillingspace
space

Voids in BCC crystal

Let us start with some surprising facts (which we shall list later as well):
(i) In a CCP crystal the octahedral void is bigger than the tetrahedral void the
reverse is true in BCC crystals.
(ii) In the case of Fe the solubility of C in close packed CCP structure is more than
the non-close packed BCC structure.
(ii) In BCC Fe, C sits in the smaller octahedral void in preference to the larger
tetrahedral void.
The solubility of C in Fe (both FCC & BCC) is much lower than the available
interstitial void space.
There are NO voids in a BCC crystal which have the shape of a regular
polyhedron (one of the 5 Platonic solids)
The voids in BCC crystal are: distorted octahedral and distorted tetrahedral
the correct term should be non-regular instead of distorted (the distortions are
pretty regular as we shall see shortly).
The distorted octahedral void is in a sense a linear void!
an sphere of correct size sitting in the void touches only two of the six atoms surrounding it

Carbon prefers to sit in this smaller octahedral void for reasons which we shall
see soon.

VOIDS

BCC
Distorted TETRAHEDRAL

Distorted OCTAHEDRAL**

a3/2

a
a

a3/2

Coordinates of the void:

{, 0, } (four on each face)

Coordinates of the void:

{, , 0} (+ BCC translations: {0, 0, })
Illustration on one face only

rvoid / ratom = 0.29

Note: Atoms are coloured differently but are the same

rVoid / ratom = 0.155

** Actually an atom of correct size touches only
the top and bottom atoms

TV

OV
{0, 0, })
Illustration on one face only
(due to symmetry all faces will be identical)

BCC voids
Distorted
Tetrahedral
Non-regular
Octahedral

Position
Four on each face: [(4/2) 6 = 12] (0, , )
Face centre: (6/2 = 3) (, , 0)
Edge centre: (12/4 = 3) (, 0, 0)

Voids /
cell

Voids /
atom

12

Calculation of the size of the distorted tetrahedral void

BCC: Non-regular Tetrahedral Void

a3/2

a2 a2
5
From the right angled triange OCM: OC

arx
16 4
4
For a BCC structure:

3a 4r ( a

5 4r
x
r x
4 3
r

4r
3

5
1 0.29
3

Calculation of the size of the distorted octahedral void

Non-regular Octahedral Void

a3/2

* Point regarding Linear Void

Because of this aspect the OV along the 3 axes can be
differentiated into OVx, OVy & OVz
Similarly the TV along x,y,z can be differentiated

OB

a
0.5a
2

OA

2a
.707a
2

As the distance OA > OB the atom in the

void touches only the atom at B (body
centre).
void is actually a linear void*

This implies:

a
OB r x
2
4r
rx
2 3

BCC : 3a 4r

x 2 3

1 0.1547
r 3

Where does the carbon atom sit in the BCC and FCC forms of iron? How does it
affect the solubility of carbon in these forms of Fe?
Surprising facts!
C dissolves more in the close packed structure (FCC, -Fe) (albeit at higher temperatures
at 1 atm. pressure where FCC is stable) than in the open structure (BCC-Fe).
C sits in the smaller octahedral void in BCC in preference to the larger tetrahedral void in
BCC.

Fe carbon alloys are important materials and hence we consider them next.
The octahedral void in FCC is the larger one and less distortion occurs when
carbon sits there this aspect contributes to a higher solubility of C in -Fe.
The distorted octahedral void in BCC is the smaller one but (surprisingly)
carbon sits there in preference to the distorted tetrahedral void (the bigger one) (we shall see the reason shortly).
Due to small size of the voids in BCC the distortion caused is more and the
solubility of C in -Fe is small
this is rather surprising at a first glance as BCC is the more open structure
but we have already seen that the number of voids in BCC is more than that in
FCC i.e. BCC has more number of smaller voids.
See next slide for figures

Relative size of voids, interstitials and Fe atom

Spend some time over this slide

FCC
Fe
FCC

Size of Fe atom
CCP crystal

Size of the OV

Size of Carbon atom

Fe
FCC

Void (Oct)

1.292 A

FeFCC

0.77 A

0.534 A

(oct ) 0.534 A

r 0.77 A
C

Void (Tet)

r 0.71 A

r 0.46 A

Relative sizes of voids w.r.t to atoms

Note the difference in size of the atoms

BCC

Size of Fe atom
BCC crystal

Fe
rBCC
1.258 A
Size of the TV

FeBCC
Size of the OV

x
x

Fe
BCC

Fe
BCC

(d .tet ) 0.364 A

(d .oct ) 0.195 A

Fe
xBCC
(d .tet )
0.29
Fe
rBCC

Fe
xBCC
(d .oct )
0.155
Fe
rBCC

 We had mentioned that the octahedral void in BCC is a linear one

(interstitial atom actually touches only two out of the 6 atoms surrounding it).

In the next slide we make a approximate calculation to see till what size will it
continue to touch only two Fe atoms
(these are ideal simplified geometrical calculations and in reality other complications will have to be considered).

Ignoring the atom sitting at B and assuming the interstitial atom touches the atom at A

2a
OA r x A
2
2 6r
r xA
3

Fe
BCC

1.258 A

BCC : 3a 4r

xA 2 6

1
0.6329
r 3

OX x A 0.796 A

OY xB 0.195 A

Fe
BCC

(d .tet ) 0.364 A

 This implies for x/r ratios between 0.15 and 0.63 the interstitial atom has to push
only two atoms.
(xcarbon/rFe)BCC ~ 0.6
This explains why Carbon preferentially sits in the apparently smaller octahedral
void in BCC.

DC
In the DC structure out of the family of 8 (, , ) type positions only 4 are occupied
[(, , ), (, , ), (, , ), (, , )].
The other four are like void positions- which are all tetrahedral in nature.
Just because there is a large void space available, this does not imply that an atom can
actually occupy these void spaces this depends on other factors including the type of
bonding in the crystal.

Largest sphere which can sit in

the void in DC

Summary of void sizes

rvoid / ratom
SC

BCC

FCC

DC

Octahedral
(CN = 6)

Not
present

0.155
(non-regular)

0.414

Not present

Tetrahedral
(CN = 4)

Not
present

0.29
(non-regular)

0.225

1
(,,) & (, , )

Cubic
(CN = 8)

0.732

Not present

Not present

Not present

Funda Check

Some points and checks on

voids!

Voids should not be confused with vacancies- vacancies are due to missing atoms or ions in crystals.
Holes should also not be confused with voids- holes are missing electrons from the valence band of
a solid.
In other contexts a void could also imply a larger void* (of the size of nanometers or microns) and
not the void between atoms in a crystal structure.
Voids have complicated shapes- we usually use a polyhedral version the coordination polyhedron
around a sphere of correct size.
Sometimes, as in the case of octahedral void in the BCC- the second nearest neighbours are also
included in constructing the coordination polyhedron.
In ionic crystals, unlike metallic crystals the cation does not sit in the void formed by the anions- the
cation is bigger than the anion. The void size calculation is to demarcate the regimes of various
coordination structures.
If an interstitial atom wants to jump from one metastable equilibrium position to another- it has to
cross an energy barrier.
Diffusivity of interstitial atoms (like C in Fe) is expected to be faster at a given temperature, as
compared to substitutional atoms. This is because, typically most of the interstitial sites are vacant and
hence an interstitial atom can jump from one site to neighbouring site.

* Schematic of a large void implied under some circumstances